Ferlin named to Team USA World Jr. preliminary roster

Cornell University forward Brian Ferlin was one of 29 players
named by USA Hockey to the 2012 U.S. National Junior Team
preliminary team Monday.

The fourth-round selection of the Boston Bruins in last
June’s NHL Entry Draft was born and raised in Jacksonville,
Florida, and if he makes the final 22-man roster (determined on the
22nd of this month), would be the first Sunshine State-trained
native to play in the prestigious under-20 tournament.

Ferlin finished the 2010-11 season as the USHL’s
third-leading scorer after 73 points with the Indianapolis Ice. He
was the final selection of the fourth round by the Bruins,
attending the draft in Minneapolis with his family and getting a
chance to put on the black and gold jersey of the team he hopes to
one day skate for after at least a few years in the NCAA.

Just 10 days after the draft, Ferlin was in Wilmington, Mass.
participating in Boston’s fifth annual prospects development
camp, where he stood out for his speed and opportunistic scoring.
He followed up his whirlwind summer with a trip to Lake Placid to
participate in the Team USA World Jr. evaluation camp, getting a
last-second invite after Brandon Saad declined to attend.

Ferlin took full advantage of his opportunity, playing well and
attracting notice of USA Hockey with a productive showing in the
exhibition phase against Sweden and Finland. That he was one of 17
forwards to make the most recent grade was not a surprise to anyone
who saw him in August or in his first month of action with the Big
Red, where he has been an impact freshman and point-per-game
player.

“Ferlin’s opened a lot of eyes in the past year or
so,” one NHL scout told New England Hockey Journal.
“He’s got the size, skill and a natural feel for the
game to overcome any disadvantage he may have had coming out of
Florida in terms of the lack of elite competition he faced at a
younger age.”

The U.S. National Team’s 29 players will gather in
Camrose, Alberta on December 17 and play two exhibition games
against Russia and Switzerland on Dec. 20 and 21 before getting to
the final cutdown. Team USA’s 22-man roster will then play
one last tuneup game on Dec. 23 against Slovakia before the
tournament kicks off after Christmas.

One hopeful who did not get the call from USA Hockey was
Boston’s second-rounder in 2010, right winger Jared Knight of
the OHL’s London Knights.

Knight originally committed to the U.S. National Team
Development Program and the University of Michigan before switching
gears and opting to go the OHL route. That decision may have cost
the 19-year-old a legitimate chance at being one of the final 29,
but the Battle Creek, Michigan native took the snub in stride.

Knight told New England Hockey Journal via email that he was
looking forward to an increased role in London under new head coach
Mark Hunter and hopes to take advantage of that trust by boosting
his production. He currently has 14 goals and 28 points with a
sterling plus-20 rating in 25 games.